What is going on in the UK?

[bluewolf]

What can I say , PC gone mad ? If we are not careful we could have people just using this sort of thing to not do any work , every work place have guys doing their level best to do little or no work now ...................you should be told what you are expected to do and do it if not get find another job

You keep forgetting the EYG at the end of your posts...

 

[Vice]

What next? Christians at B&Q refusing to sell nails and wood?

What can I say , PC gone mad ? If we are not careful we could have people just using this sort of thing to not do any work , every work place have guys doing their level best to do little or no work now ...................you should be told what you are expected to do and do it if not get find another job

 

[bluewolf]

What can I say , PC gone mad ? If we are not careful we could have people just using this sort of thing to not do any work , every work place have guys doing their level best to do little or no work now ...................you should be told what you are expected to do and do it if not get find another job

That is the policy in most workplaces. M&S have decided to do something different. That is their decision, not yours, or mine, or anyone elses.

 

[palindromicbob]

Or anything with Gelatin in, no jelly babies, not many sweets, no gum, bet the staff member has served that in the past

Hehe the Percy Pigs would be a double whammy. Unless it's the Veggie ones with greens ears.

 

[SocketRocket]

You keep forgetting the EYG at the end of your posts...

Enjoy Your Gin. If you can get it.

 

[bluewolf]

Enjoy Your Gin. If you can get it.

I shall be Enjoying My Whisky from tomorrow afternoon. The Gin can wait till early Christmas Day...:thup:

 

[JCW]

You keep forgetting the EYG at the end of your posts...

It best to say nothing so you don't offend , I don't tell you what to write or do I comment if you have your own style , that's your thing , I used to win lots of matches in golf , just because others don't like it , don't mean I have to change my style to suit them ........................just for you .............ENJOY YOUR GOLF >>>>>>> EYG y:fore:

 

[bluewolf]

It best to say nothing so you don't offend , I don't tell you what to write or do I comment if you have your own style , that's your thing , I used to win lots of matches in golf , just because others don't like it , don't mean I have to change my style to suit them ........................just for you .............ENJOY YOUR GOLF >>>>>>> EYG y:fore:

Oooommphh... Thats told me then.... It never bothered me. I just wanted you to keep it to annoy the curmudgeonly whingers who moaned about it...:thup:

 

[Liverbirdie]

Maybe M&S will have 'No Alcohol, No Pork' tills. But what about chocolate liqueurs, bacon crisps, sherry trifle - indeed any food that includes alcohol or pork as an ingredient. This seems to me to be a re rather unconscionable demand that M&S have given in to in a bit of PC pandering. It's just daft - as most muslims will agree.

I think I'd go in this lane, it may help with my diet.......

 

[doublebogey7]

I've worked in Saudi a few times. Try going there and expressing any kind of 'rights.'

So two wrongs do make a right then, must tell mum!

 

[Sharktooth]

So two wrongs do make a right then, must tell mum!

No, because there you have no rights

 

[USER1999]

But no one on the til is handling pork, or pork based products. Every thing is shrink wrapped, so all they are handling is plastic. Ditto for alcohol, it's just glass and cans.

I can understand it if the job involves getting contaminated hands, but not if it's just packaging.

 

[Sharktooth]

I worked on an Texas owned drilling platform a few years ago and the dive team were mainly Muslim Malay. Anyhoo, they had bacon in the mess for breakfast and I sat down with it at the table with my colleagues, but apologised to them if I caused offence. The reply was an overwhelming "no offence mate, in fact we are allowed to eat pork in times of emergency." Some of the biggest beer monsters I know are Singaporean Muslim Divers.

My original post was, what is going on in the UK?

 

[doublebogey7]

No, because there you have no rights

So what exactly was your point?

 

[Sharktooth]

So what exactly was your point?

exactly the point of explaining the differences in cultures, history, working conditions in all the continents and races I have worked in and lived in and accepted without spitting the dummy, would take up rather a few more sentences than could possibly be allowed on this forum. P.s I could do it in four languages.

 

[woody69]

If the employee believes so strongly that on religious grounds they shouldn't handle pork and alcohol, then how do they reconcile themselves with the fact that their wages are paid by a company that makes no small amount of profit from pork and alcohol, thus making the profits to pay the said employee. Or do beliefs conveniently go out of the window on payday?

I find it hard to believe that the employee couldn't sort the issue out behind closed doors with a manager that knows them they could raise the matter with complete strangers in full public view.

What are you talking about? It is nothing to do with making money from the sale of these items? Muslims don't handle pork because they believe it to be unclean. They understand that as animals, pigs they have a purpose as scavengers and cleaning up muck, but they don't want to touch it. Again with alcohol it is all about the negatives it brings over any potential benefits and they don't want to be seen encouraging others to consume it, which is why some (not all) Muslims decide not to help sell it. It's not about refusing to work for a company simply because they sell it and get a pay cheque, so forget their "beliefs".

And regarding your other point, as has been stated many times the manager was fully aware of the employees beliefs, but because they misunderstood the policy they told the employee to just ask the customer to go to another till, which is where this complete non-story has come from.

 

[woody69]

exactly the point of explaining the differences in cultures, history, working conditions in all the continents and races I have worked in and lived in and accepted without spitting the dummy, would take up rather a few more sentences than could possibly be allowed on this forum. P.s I could do it in four languages.

Just because you decide to live in another culture, it doesn't mean you should be forced to drop your own beliefs and traditions. If I lived in another country, I would still want to get a Christmas tree and celebrate Christmas (as an atheist!) even if the country I lived in didn't have that.

You talk about "not spitting the dummy", but I'd be interested to hear if you actually have any deep seated religious or personal beliefs that you were happy to let slide because you were in a different country. I would hazard a guess that you don't have any at all.

 

[Pin-seeker]

What are you talking about? It is nothing to do with making money from the sale of these items? Muslims don't handle pork because they believe it to be unclean. They understand that as animals, pigs they have a purpose as scavengers and cleaning up muck, but they don't want to touch it. Again with alcohol it is all about the negatives it brings over any potential benefits and they don't want to be seen encouraging others to consume it, which is why some (not all) Muslims decide not to help sell it. It's not about refusing to work for a company simply because they sell it and get a pay cheque, so forget their "beliefs".

And regarding your other point, as has been stated many times the manager was fully aware of the employees beliefs, but because they misunderstood the policy they told the employee to just ask the customer to go to another till, which is where this complete non-story has come from.

But they do know the Pork is in airtight packaging don't they?

 

[Sharktooth]

Just because you decide to live in another culture, it doesn't mean you should be forced to drop your own beliefs and traditions. If I lived in another country, I would still want to get a Christmas tree and celebrate Christmas (as an atheist!) even if the country I lived in didn't have that.

You talk about "not spitting the dummy", but I'd be interested to hear if you actually have any deep seated religious or personal beliefs that you were happy to let slide because you were in a different country. I would hazard a guess that you don't have any at all.

Entirely correct, I have zero deep seated religious beliefs after being dragged through a Christian upbringing in Scotland. My personal beliefs however... who are you to judge me?

 

[Blue in Munich]

What are you talking about? It is nothing to do with making money from the sale of these items? Muslims don't handle pork because they believe it to be unclean. They understand that as animals, pigs they have a purpose as scavengers and cleaning up muck, but they don't want to touch it. Again with alcohol it is all about the negatives it brings over any potential benefits and they don't want to be seen encouraging others to consume it, which is why some (not all) Muslims decide not to help sell it. It's not about refusing to work for a company simply because they sell it and get a pay cheque, so forget their "beliefs".

And regarding your other point, as has been stated many times the manager was fully aware of the employees beliefs, but because they misunderstood the policy they told the employee to just ask the customer to go to another till, which is where this complete non-story has come from.

So, they're not happy to handle to pork or the alcohol (not that they are, as murphthemog said, they are handling shrink wrap or glass or tin cans) but they are happy to handle the cash that these unclean products produce. That doesn't sound like much of a belief to me, sounds very much closer to double standards. And how are they encouraging anyone to consume alcohol? Customer enters store of own free will, customer chooses to purchase alcohol of own free will, customer attempts to pay for said alcohol, customer is prevented by employee from buying the alcohol. That is not a case of not encouraging someone to buy alcohol, this is clearly a case of imposing your religious beliefs on someone else regardless of their point of view, and that is why this has become a story.

I really am not bothered what religion people choose to follow, if any. I am quite happy to respect their religious views within reason. I am bothered when they try to impose their religious beliefs on my lifestyle, and as far as I am concerned, refusing to sell me a product that I am quite entitled to buy when they are employed to sell that product to me is overstepping the mark.